The "Afterglow" explained

Tuesday 26th January, 2016 - 3:06pm

By Rodney Ward

The "Afterglow". Some will have seen this word in reports and articles on our concerts and will have wondered what the writer is describing. Is it the satisfied feeling felt by the choir after giving another excellent concert? Not quite. Perhaps the rapidly changing colour of a certain top tenors nose after a few glasses of chardonnay? Well possibly.

Of course, choir members and their regular followers over the years will know. And they will also know how important this is for some choirs.....especially Mousehole. For the sake of those who still don't know what afterglow means the term describes the informal singing held in the pub after a concert.

But now, more than ever before, the afterglow has become vital. Let me try and put that into context and justify my firmly held belief that if the tradition of the afterglow ever finishes, then male voice choirs in Cornwall will eventually die out.

There are many reasons why Mousehole Male Voice Choir are riding on the crest of a wave at the moment. We have in Steve Lawry, an MD that is simply brilliant. He, along with the rest of our of our musical team, inspire us to even greater heights. We want to sing for them as well as for ourselves. Yet speak to any of the many new members who have joined us recently and they will tell you that it's the social side of Mousehole Choir that helped them make up their minds. Quite a few joined because they heard us singing in the pub after a concert.

I am not for one moment advocating that the afterglow is more important than the concert itself. People come from far and wide and pay good money to hear us sing. So it is vital that we prepare and practice hard to give of our best in a concert situation. And we invariably do. But it is also vital that we carry on the timeless tradition of singing in the pub afterwards....the afterglow. Not only does it keep the social and tribal bond of the choir together but more importantly, it showcases the beauty of Cornish male voice singing to another audience. Those people who hear us in the pub for the first time are possibly the next new audience member or indeed.....as Mousehole have regularly found.....our next new choir member.

Cornish Male Voice Choirs have, in the main, a great product. They make a unique and wonderful sound. But they have to work harder and smarter to get more people to listen to them. Too many people mistakenly think that because we sing in churches and chapels that the product is going to be staid, boring and out of date. They couldn't be more wrong. And that is where the afterglow helps. It reaches out to a wider section of people. We have to take our sound to them because generally speaking they won't come to us.

To help illustrate this point I am going to go back a few years. I think it was my third or fourth concert with Mousehole. This occasion was a joint concert with another large choir in a big chapel in mid Cornwall. As usual at the end of the concert the two choirs joined together to sing a couple of numbers. The finale was Morte Christie. Over 140 Cornish voices coming together to sing with spine tingling brilliance. It was superb. I was buzzing with emotion and adrenalin and couldn't wait for the afterglow. 50,perhaps 60 of us to go to their local and bring this product to even more people. As we went into the chapel hall for the obligatory tea and sandwiches I asked the hosts "Right, where are we going after this? Which pub are we singing in later?" They looked at me as if I was an alien. "We don't sing in pubs. We don't do afterglows"

I'll be honest, I thought they were joking. But apparently not. Not all choirs do. Here was, in my opinion, an opportunity for that choir to showcase their talents. They could have spread the gospel of Cornish Male Voice Choir singing to a new....and certainly larger....audience that evening. At the very least they would have given a local pub on Sunday night in March an evening they wouldn't forget in a hurry.The old adage of adapt or die is so true.

So back then to Mousehole Choir. The afterglow. How does it work? Is there a list, an order of songs to be sung? Well not quite.....a few could put money on a certain two songs starting us off! It's informal, it's relaxing, it's high quality and it's enjoyable. Old traditional Cornish songs are kept alive, modern ones are thrown in and requests sometimes undertaken.

Over the years we have had some memorable afterglows. On tour, when we go out of the county, audiences lap it up. In Cornwall we take for granted standing with a pint in hand and singing with friends. Over the Tamar it is an alien concept and we have landlords all over the country begging us to return. However, the afterglow I will remember most fondly was after a concert in the Blisland area. A long journey to sing in a tiny village hall in front of a sparse audience. As we retired to the local pub on the village green we started singing outside. One by one the lights in the houses came on as people opened their windows to hear us. By the end of the evening it seemed as if the whole village had come to the green outside the pub to hear us sing. The late and much loved Dennis Mitchell led the quiet singing..."No louder than lovely..." and on a balmy summers evening that was one occasion when the afterglow certainly surpassed the concert.

So there you have it. The afterglow explained. It is very important and much loved by the choir. If you want to experience it first hand then come and join us. You never know...with a pint of beer in one hand and some four part harmony in your ear, you may well be tempted to give this singing lark a go. I would if I were you!